Plant-protector.



F'. G. ELLIOT. PLANT PROTECTOR.

APatented De.1,l19o8.

j 7 ww ,w l J 0W T. V V M Ww T JV, W MW will W d W! |14. ../WIIMMTI WI lTl FRED OOTTEN ELLIOT, OF TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA.

PLANTPROTECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

Application led February 20, 1908. Serial No. 416,830.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED C. ELLIOT, a citi* zen of the United States,and a resident of Tallahassee, in the county of Leon and State ofFlorida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPlant-Protectors, of which the following is full, clear, and eX actdescription.

The object of the invention is to provide a partial shade for growingplants, such as tobacco, pineapples, etc., the protector being soarranged that the plants are subjected to alternate bars of sunlight andshadow, the bars extending north and south, so that during the apparentmotion of the sun from east to west the bars of sunshine and shadow willtravel from west to east, thus subjecting each part of' the plant toalternate bars of sunshine and shadow.

Referring to the drawings forming a part hereof Figure 1 is a plan viewof a portion of the improved protector in use. Fig. 2 is an enlargeddetail of a portion of the same, and Fig. is a section on the line 3-3of Fig. 2.

ln the practical application of the invention, the posts l are arrangedin spaced parallel rows and the corresponding posts of the rows areconnected by wires 2 and 3, the wires 2 .running in one direction, andthe wires 3 running in the other direction and crossing thepwires 2. Thewires may be of iron or steel of suitable size and length, and are allsubstantially in the same horizontal plane and elevated a suitable distance above the ground. The wires and posts are so `arranged that oneseries 3 of wires run east and west and the other 2 north and south.Between eaclrpair of east and west wires is arranged an intermediatewire`v 4, in the present construction, the ends of the intermediate wirebeing connected with the outside north and south wires 2.

The improvement comprises a screen come posed of lengths of a fabriccomprising` thin sheet metal strips or slats 5, having their endsconnected with wires of suitable gage 6, in any suitable manner, in thepresent instance by bending the ends of the strips over the wires. Aplurality of intermediate bracing wires 7 are also made use of toproperly retain the slats in their spaced position and to prevent thecenters thereof from sagging when the protector is in place.

The protector is manufactured in suitable lengths and afterwardsgalvanized in order to protect it from deterioration and also to solderor unite the parts.

The slats or strips are spaced apart from each other a suitable distancedepending upon the width of the slats, and also upon the purpose forwhich they are to be used.

The posts are preferably from 8 to 10 feet high, and are placed about 30feet apart from east to west, and about 12 feet apart from north tosouth. The north and south wires are usually of about No. S gage, andthe east and west wires about No. 4 gage.

The lengths of the protector are arranged east and west, and the sidewires of the lengths are connected with the east and west wires 3, byany suitable fastening devices, in the present instance by loops ofwires 8, the loop being passed around the side wires of the lengths, andthe east and west wires, and 'the ends twisted to retain the loop inplace.

The protector is easily placed, does not readily deteriorate, isindestructible by fire and does not warp from the heat of the sun.

I claim:

1. A device for protecting growing plants, comprising a plurality ofspaced posts, a series of parallel wires connected with the posts, atransverse series of parallel wires connected with the posts and withthe first wires, an'd a screen supported by the wires, said screencomprising parallel side wires, thin sheet metal strips or slats spacedapart from each other and having their ends connected with the sidewires, intermediate bracing wires connected with the strips or slats,and loops connecting the side wires with the wires of the transverseseries.

2. A device of the class described, comprising spaced side wires andthin sheet metal strips arranged in spaced relation and having theirends bent over the side wires whereby to connect said side wires, thestripsbeing galvanized after being connected.

FRED COTTEN ELLIOT.

Witnesses:

V. J. RANDOLPH, O. M. JAconIE.

